Messiah
A visit to Spain
Händel
María Espada, soprano
Gabriel Díaz, countertenor
Juan Sancho, tenor
Joan Martín-Royo, baritone
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
Barcelona Ars Nova
Mireia Barrera, conductor
In December, FiBO will perform in mainland Spain for the first time – the orchestra has been invited to perform Georg Friedrich Händel’s oratorio Messiah (HWV 56, 1741) in Barcelona and in Madrid. The text to Messiah is from the Bible, and while the oratorio was originally written to be performed during Easter it is nowadays particularly popular during the Advent season. Arias in English alternate with choruses and recitativos in the work. The most famous part of the work is the Halleluja chorus at the end of the second part.
The first part of the oratorio consists of prophecies of Messiah. The story continues to the birth of Messiah and to the miracles he performs. The second part tells the story of his death on the cross, his resurrection, the preaching of the Gospel and the world’s reaction to it. The third part considers the Day of Judgment, death and the conquest of sin.
Duration: 2 h 30 in (incl. intermission)